After a strike that closed schools for several weeks, the two sides reached a deal that promised $400 million to hire new teachers over the course of six years, a move that was intended to address class size, class composition and specialist teachers ...

]]>The province may have fewer teachers this year than last, despite their contract settlement that promised millions of dollars to hire new teachers, an estimate done by the B.C. Teachers’ Federation shows.

After a strike that closed schools for several weeks, the two sides reached a deal that promised $400 million to hire new teachers over the course of six years, a move that was intended to address class size, class composition and specialist teachers for schools.

The BCTF research report found that the deal should have meant about $35 million to hire about 377 full-time new teachers for this year, but that 386 full-time teachers were lost when school districts cut teachers last year to balance their budgets. That results in a net loss of nine teachers throughout the province.

The BCTF document uses an average teachers’ salary of $73,163, plus benefits. The BCTF emphasizes that these are estimates only.

B.C.’s Education Ministry has not released class size and composition numbers for this school year, yet, although those numbers are expected later this week. In response to the BCTF report, the ministry said it has not cut funding to education and that the average per pupil funding for 2014-15 is $8,819, up from last year’s average of $8,690. The ministry also said class composition should be improved, even if there are nine fewer teachers, because enrolment has declined by nearly 5,000 students.

“If there are 5,000 fewer students and only nine fewer teachers — by BCTF’s reasoning — the implicit logic of that suggests there are more teachers per student,” said Robert Pauliszyn, communications director at the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry of Education said in a statement that in Oct. 2014, there were 29,730 full-time teachers, compared to a total of 29,668 in Sept. 2013, an increase of 62. The count was later this year due to the strike. The ministry also said the number of teacher retirements this year is “significant in some districts, with younger teachers at the low end of the salary grid replacing older teachers who were at the higher end of the grid.” That would affect the numbers used by BCTF to arrive at the loss of nine teachers.

Government documents released recently show show that since 2005-2006, there are 310 fewer specialist teachers in the system. Specifically, there are 114 fewer librarians, 121 fewer special education teachers, 43 fewer counsellors and 31.8 fewer English as a Second Language teachers since 2005-06, the documents state. In that same time period, enrolment has declined by 31,000 students.

tsherlock@vancouversun.com

Filed under: B.C. Education Report, News Tagged: B.C. Teachers' Federation, BCTF, class composition, class size, education, specialist teachers, teachers strike, teaching]]>http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2015/02/03/province-may-have-lost-teachers-despite-contract-deal/feed/0tracysherlockE80: what lawyer Joel Bakan has to sayhttp://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/09/09/e80-what-lawyer-joel-bakan-has-to-say/
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/09/09/e80-what-lawyer-joel-bakan-has-to-say/#commentsTue, 09 Sep 2014 23:36:26 +0000http://blogs.vancouversun.com/?p=163779Joel Bakan, University of British Columbia law professor and a constitutional law scholar, has weighed in on the controversial proposal, E80, which is the employers’ proposal on class size, class composition and specialist teachers. Bakan says he understands the B.C. Teachers’ Federation’s concerns about the possibility that accepting the proposal could negatively affect a court appeal that is to be heard in October. The employer has said that negotiating class size and composition is its ...]]>Joel Bakan, University of British Columbia law professor and a constitutional law scholar, has weighed in on the controversial proposal, E80, which is the employers’ proposal on class size, class composition and specialist teachers. Bakan says he understands the B.C. Teachers’ Federation’s concerns about the possibility that accepting the proposal could negatively affect a court appeal that is to be heard in October. The employer has said that negotiating class size and composition is its No. 1 priority, while the BCTF has made dropping the proposal a condition of entering into binding arbitration. Teachers will vote tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 10) on whether to end their strike if the government drops E80 and enters binding arbitration.
Bakan’s opinion on the proposal is below.
“I see a lot of sense in the BCTF’s insistence on eliminating E80 from the package for consideration in binding arbitration. The effect of E80, as I understand it, is to force negotiation on classroom size/composition when the nature and scope of the BCTF’s legal rights in respect to those matters is unknown and pending decisions of the BC Court of Appeal, and possibly the Supreme Court of Canada after that,” Bakan wrote in an email.
“As is true of any negotiation, the respective bargaining positions of each party is determined by the prevailing legal framework concerning their respective rights. One cannot, for example, effectively negotiate a sale of land if the crucial legal issues concerning that land – such as zoning and permitted uses – are uncertain, or pending a court decision. On a larger scale, the relative positions of government and aboriginal negotiators in respect to land claims are profoundly shaped by court decisions on aboriginal title. The same is true of any and every negotiation, including those between BCTF and the government – extant legal rights determine respective bargaining positions.
“In my view, the BCTF is acting sensibly and reasonably in wanting to eliminate unresolved, yet crucial, legal issues from bargaining. It is not that the BCTF doesn’t want to bargain those issues – as the Minister seems to suggest; it is that they want to wait until the courts have finally determined the respective rights of the parties on those issues before commencing bargaining. That makes eminent sense, as does the proposal to go ahead with binding arbitration on those parts of the dispute that are not currently before the courts. The BCTF’s position would put teachers back in classrooms on terms decided by an arbitrator on matters not before the courts, while leaving negotiation concerning matters that are before the courts to a time when those courts have finally decided upon those matters.”
tsherlock@vancouversun.comFiled under: B.C. Education Report Tagged: B.C. Teachers' Federation, British Columbia Court of Appeal, Joel Bakan, Supreme Court of Canada, teachers strike, University of British Columbia]]>http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/09/09/e80-what-lawyer-joel-bakan-has-to-say/feed/0tracysherlockNotes from the Sun newsroom: Five things you need to know todayhttp://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/06/11/notes-from-the-sun-newsroom-five-things-you-need-to-know-today-3/
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/06/11/notes-from-the-sun-newsroom-five-things-you-need-to-know-today-3/#commentsWed, 11 Jun 2014 17:49:48 +0000http://blogs.vancouversun.com/?p=156703Good morning from the eighth floor of the Granville Square tower. The Weather Network says we should hit a high of 20 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud today. We are already at 19 degrees.

Here’s wishing you a safe day on the streets of Vancouver.

Yaletown, and the rest of the city, is still buzzing about that “brazen” shooting outside a Starbucks near the seawall yesterday. Paul Dragan, 52, is recovering in ...

]]>Good morning from the eighth floor of the Granville Square tower. The Weather Network says we should hit a high of 20 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud today. We are already at 19 degrees.

Here’s wishing you a safe day on the streets of Vancouver.

Yaletown, and the rest of the city, is still buzzing about that “brazen” shooting outside a Starbucks near the seawall yesterday. Paul Dragan, 52, is recovering in hospital and listed in critical condition after being shot in the street by a gunman. The suspect fled the scene by riding his bike on the seawall before being shot by police outside Science World. A 61-year-old suspect is said to be in stable condition in the hospital. Police have not released his name. Today we hope to find out the back story behind the shooting.

The B.C. Teachers’ Federation has its strike mandate. Teachers voted 86 per cent in favour of a full-scale strike Tuesday night. The BCTF still hasn’t issued 72-hour strike notice, however, so Monday is the earliest day the teachers can walk out. Premier Christy Clark has high hopes to reach a settlement soon.“It’s well within the realm,” she told reporters Tuesday, hours before the vote tally was to be revealed. “If there’s a will, there’s a way. And there’s certainly a will on my part and on the government’s part.”

Bard on the Beach kicks off its 25th season today. We profile costume designer Mara Gottler, who has been working with the Shakespeare festival for its entire run of 25 years. She talks about how she has keep things fresh — and edgy. “I have really, really enjoyed redoing this (Midsummer Night’s Dream) because when we did it last time eight years ago it was just a huge success and everything fell into place. The company was terrific, the approach to the show — which we call ‘collision of periods’ — worked for it. It just was a really, really fun show. And when they wanted to redo it, I thought this is great, we can go even further now and as I said to Dean: ‘Come on it’s eight years later, we’ve got more grey hairs and we’re a little darker in our lives, let’s go edgier.’ So we put a little bit more sexual stuff into it and put some darker things into it.”

We expect a raucous session at Vancouver city hall today with the topic of preservation of heritage homes on the agenda. Public speakers on both sides of the argument will argue the steps council is taking to prevent heritage homes from being ripped down in record numbers in Vancouver’s West Side.

Cam Cole is in New York City where the Los Angeles Kings can win their second Stanley Cup in three years. The Kings hold a 3-0 series lead on the New York Rangers. “We’re down 3-0. We’re all lacking sleep. This is tough,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault told Cole Tuesday. “We’re in the Stanley Cup Final and we’re down 3-0. You don’t get a lot of these opportunities. Excuse us if today we’re not real cheery. But tomorrow I can tell you we’re going to show up.” Game time is 5 p.m. on CBC.

]]>More than 10,000 B.C. students on a Facebook group have indicated they will take part in a staged walkout Wednesday in response to being “put in the middle of the labour dispute between the BCTF and the Government.”

“Each side claims to be ‘fighting for the students’ yet each side fails to show how they are doing so. The BCTF has voted to go on rotating strikes both this week and next, which equals less time spent in school, learning, for us students.Many students need this time for provincial exam preparation in high school and for completing courses required for University. Many teachers are also refusing to participate in extra-curricular activities because of the lock out imposed by the Government. This hurts high school students’ chances of scholarships and sports in University,” reads a statement on the group page.

Public school teachers launched a second round of rotating strikes on Monday, putting hundreds of thousands of students out of class this week. The rotating strikes by more than 40,000 teachers mean up to 150,000 students will be off school in various school districts for one day each either today, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday.

Although the majority of the 56,000 invited to participate in the protest have not responded, there are nearly 11,000 student who have indicated they will participate in the protest and another 2,000 who indicated they will not.

Student and walkout organizer Victoria Barker says she’s mobilizing students to take their own stand rather than be used like pawns between two divorcing parents. The 18 year old says she’s been affected by job action throughout her entire schooling history and she and others are angry and frustrated that both the government and teachers are willing to put their education in jeopardy.

“Walking out in the middle of class makes a statement. I want to keep this momentum going after the walkout so it is not just a one time thing either, and then is forgotten about. If anyone has any ideas for how to keep this momentum going, I would love to hear them. These things do not have to involve missing class time,” Barker wrote on Facebook.

The education ministry says bargaining is set to resume on Tuesday — the sticking points in the dispute are pay, class size and classroom support.

With Canadian Press filesFiled under: News, Now, STAFF Tagged: B.C. government, B.C. Teachers' Federation, BCTF, Jobs and Labor, teachers, Victoria Barker]]>http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/06/02/b-c-students-using-facebook-to-organize-mass-walkout/feed/0Screen Shot 2014-06-02 at 1.44.25 PMskottbrownPremier Christy Clark’s instructions to her new education ministerhttp://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/06/11/premier-christy-clarks-instructions-to-her-new-education-minister/
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/06/11/premier-christy-clarks-instructions-to-her-new-education-minister/#commentsTue, 11 Jun 2013 22:22:05 +0000http://blogs.vancouversun.com/?p=126586Premier Christy Clarkhas sent a letter to Education Minister Peter Fassbender outlining her expectations of him in his new job. They are as follows (condensed and with my comments in brackets):

– Balance your ministerial budget and control spending.

– Achieve 10 years of labour stability by overseeing negotiations with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. (No mention of CUPE, which has been holding strike votes around the province, or other school unions.)

– Achieve 10 years of labour stability by overseeing negotiations with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. (No mention of CUPE, which has been holding strike votes around the province, or other school unions.)

– Review the mandate and structure of the B.C. Public Sector Educators Association and provide options for reform. (The premier knows it is the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association. I’ve been hearing rumours that some at BCPSEA are worried about downsizing there if the oft-promised 10-year deal becomes a reality.)

– Continue with the BC Education Plan, including performance assessments for teachers “and support and curriculum enhancements”. (No explanation for that latter bit, although a curriculum review is underway).

– Work with the Federation of Independent Schools Association (properly known as the Federation of Independent School Associations . . . I would have let that one go but it’s the third error in titles by her staff) to improve and support educational choice in B.C.

– Provide options for online textbooks for parents to assist their children with K-12 homework.

– Implement and build on the resources allocated for arts education in Budget 2013.

– Work with other ministries to ensure a seamless transition to work for students interested in the trades.

——-

I wish she had added this: Always remember that you were elected to serve the public and strive to be as open as possible. That includes letting ministry staff speak directly to reporters when they have questions rather than forcing every single bit of information through the official communications channel as has been the case for the past 12 years. Since the Liberals were elected in 2001, I have been granted only one interview with a ministry employee and that occurred this spring.

The first time his name shows up is in 1990, when he was appointed director of client services for Palmer Jarvis, (now DDB Canada), a marketing and communications firm where he worked for 29 years before becoming Langley mayor in 2005. ...

]]>B.C.’s new Education Minister Peter Fassbender‘s experience as a Langley school trustee was so long ago that I’ve been unable to find news reports from that era in Infomart, Postmedia’s media monitoring service.

The first time his name shows up is in 1990, when he was appointed director of client services for Palmer Jarvis, (now DDB Canada), a marketing and communications firm where he worked for 29 years before becoming Langley mayor in 2005. Biographical information says he started his career and television and radio personality.

But an April 1978 newsletter from the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) indicates he was a trustee during turbulent times related to the back-to-basics school movement in Langley. According to the newsletter, Fassbender was a member of a school board that had been elected on a back-to-basics platform and clashed regularly over this and other issues with the Langley Teachers’ Association (LTA)

Those were early days for fundamental schools, also known as traditional schools, and the concept was highly controversial. The first one – Langley Central Fundamental School – was touted as a school of choice and the board was interested in creating others. But the union was opposed, saying its members “object(ed) strongly to the use of public funds by special-interest groups to promote their own ends.”

The feud was bitter and resulted in a flood of resignations in 1976-77. In December 1977, the school board tried to have the union president, Terry Eastman, dismissed from his teaching job, the newsletter says.

Amid the turmoil, Fassbender introduced a motion asking the Education Ministry to restore corporal punishment, the letter says, and seconded a motion to have the Langley board withdraw from the B.C. School Trustees’ Association because it had been “sluggish and lax” for several years. (The board later changes its mind and tried to dominate the association instead.)

There was also a tiff over the way teachers were dressing, with the superintendent issuing a memo saying casual appearance left the impression of casual teaching and casual concern. “The memo did little to enhance morale. Langley became a national joke as the story found its way into the CBC network,” the newsletter says.

The school board and the LTA were also at loggerheads over a request by 115 students and four teachers to attend a workshop titled “Sexism, Schools and Society” and a BCTF slide show about racism. The slide presentation was banned and the board passed a motion denying permission for the teachers and students to attend the workshop.

“Trustee Fassbender noted that ‘the BCTF should clean up its act and stay out of education,'” the newsletter says.

In February, 1978, the board banned the novel Go Ask Alice (described in wikipedia as a cautionary tale about the troubled life of a teenage girl who became addicted to drugs).

In May 1977, after five months of the Basic Bunch (as they were known), “morale had taken such a rapid turn for the worse that LTA officers sought a meeting with senior officials in the ministry of education,” the newsletter states. A meeting was held to discuss “the effect school board actions were having on teacher morale, the board’s refusal to accept a recommendation from the senior staff and what appeared as a vindictive attitude by individual trustees towards teachers.”

People and attitudes change over the years, of course, and Fassbender, a rookie MLA, is much better known for his work as Langley City’s mayor since 2005. But it’s an interesting bit of history on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

When I tweeted LTA president Gail Chaddock-Costello about the new minister, she replied: “He was a champion of education when HD Stafford, Langley City’s only high school, was closed, but will be (Christy Clark’s) man.”

Now, about that 10-year deal . . .

Filed under: B.C. Education Report, COMMUNITY Tagged: B.C. Teachers' Federation, back to basics, Gail Chaddock-Costello, Langley school district, Peter Fassbender, traditional education]]>http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/06/09/peter-fassbender-and-the-back-to-basics-education-movement-in-the-70s/feed/0Langley Mayor PRV1212N-FASSBENDER-0031jsteffenhagenB.C. teachers and employers back to the bargaining tablehttp://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/05/28/b-c-teachers-and-employers-back-to-the-bargaining-table/
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/05/28/b-c-teachers-and-employers-back-to-the-bargaining-table/#commentsTue, 28 May 2013 18:03:54 +0000http://blogs.vancouversun.com/?p=124821Contract talks resumed today (Tuesday) for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and public school employers, despite the government’s announcement last week of a new bargaining mandate intended to produce a 10-year deal.

Negotiations, which started in February, had been adjourned during the election campaign. The parties agreed to resume talks May 28, and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association said there are still issues to be discussed even though employers don’t yet have details of ...

]]>Contract talks resumed today (Tuesday) for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and public school employers, despite the government’s announcement last week of a new bargaining mandate intended to produce a 10-year deal.

Negotiations, which started in February, had been adjourned during the election campaign. The parties agreed to resume talks May 28, and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association said there are still issues to be discussed even though employers don’t yet have details of the government’s new bargaining mandate. Talks are to continue tomorrow and Thursday.

It now seems highly unlikely that a new deal will be signed before the current contract expires June 30. I don’t think even Charles Jago, the man who accomplished “mission impossible” last June by reaching an eleventh-hour deal with the BCTF, could work another miracle. An important next step is the appointment of an education minister to guide this process through difficult days ahead. (A new cabinet is expected to be sworn in June 6, I’m told.) Traditionally, bargaining is halted during July and August.

Negotiating such a deal will be a challenge for sure – and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) isn’t the only union in K-12 schools. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 27,000 support workers, is also a force to be reckoned with.

Negotiating such a deal will be a challenge for sure – and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) isn’t the only union in K-12 schools. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 27,000 support workers, is also a force to be reckoned with.

On the same day that deputy education minister James Gorman‘s letters about BCTF negotiations were made public, CUPE issued a release indicating it is preparing for possible job action in the fall. More than half of the 57 CUPE locals have taken strike votes and the rest are expected to be finished before the end of June.

Regarding Clark’s talk about peace in B.C. schools, CUPE spokesman Colin Pawson said “for CUPE workers, that will hinge on job security and a long-overdue wage adjustment as well as guarantees that the quality of BC’s public education system will finally be protected with adequate funding.”

Talks broke down in April after CUPE and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association concluded that they couldn’t reach an agreement under the government’s cooperative gains mandate. That mandate allows modest wage increases if costs are offset by savings within existing budgets, but boards of education say that after a decade of restraint, no further savings are possible.

Bill Pegler told me Friday that K-12 members are asking for the same wage hike offered CUPE members in the post-secondary sector – two per cent in each year of a two-year deal. Support workers haven’t had a pay increase since 2009.

But the message the premier delivered Thursday to her caucus was one of restraint: “There will be calls to spend money. For the next little while, our answer to most of those questions will have to be ‘No. Not now.’”

Writing to public-school employers, deputy education minister James Gorman said the previous bargaining directive will be rescinded and replaced “with one more reflective of the newly elected government’s priorities.”

As a result, the parties may wish to reconsider their upcoming bargaining dates until they receive further direction, he added in ...

]]>We all know that Premier Christy Clark wants a 10-year deal with teachers, but her government’s letter to bargaining teams Friday was a surprise nevertheless.

Writing to public-school employers, deputy education minister James Gorman said the previous bargaining directive will be rescinded and replaced “with one more reflective of the newly elected government’s priorities.”

As a result, the parties may wish to reconsider their upcoming bargaining dates until they receive further direction, he added in a reference to the plan for talks to resume Tuesday. He also sent a letter to BCTF president Susan Lambert.

My colleague Jonathan Fowlie was the first with the news and when I called BCTF officials for comment, I caught them unaware. The executive was at a representative assembly meeting at a hotel and no one had seen the letter.

“This is very disrespectful of hard-working teachers,” Lambert said, referring to the bargaining directive and the way the news was delivered.

In a ruling Tuesday, the B.C. Court of Appeal sided with the BCTF, saying posters and buttons displayed by teachers as part of their union’s When Will They Learn campaign in 2008 and 2009 were protected by their Charter rights and did not detract from students’ education.

The court overturned an arbitrator’s ...

]]>The B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) has won another victory in a complicated battle with employers over freedom of expression in public schools.

In a ruling Tuesday, the B.C. Court of Appeal sided with the BCTF, saying posters and buttons displayed by teachers as part of their union’s When Will They Learn campaign in 2008 and 2009 were protected by their Charter rights and did not detract from students’ education.

The court overturned an arbitrator’s ruling in 2011 that favoured the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association, which had argued that vulnerable children needed to be protected from such political messaging.

The two sides have been fighting for years over the balance between teachers’ rights to freedom of expression and children’s rights to be educated in schools free of bias. Read my story – and comments from readers – here.

What does this mean for the future, given that there are many outstanding grievances over this same issue (including one in Prince Rupert over Yertle the Turtle’s message)?

Hugh Finlayson, chief executive officer for the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), said Tuesday the association has not yet decided if it will appeal. But court rulings and arbitrations are providing greater clarity about the extent to which teachers have freedom of expression in schools, he added.

BCTF president Susan Lambert said she wasn’t surprised by the ruling since the union has won others and stressed that teachers have a professional responsibility to speak about education policy. Find the union’s statement here.

The union wasn’t keen on the idea when it was floated in January,but few gave it much thought because polls were suggesting the Liberals wouldn’t be around for another term. At the time,BCTF president Susan Lambert described the idea as ludicrous.

The union wasn’t keen on the idea when it was floated in January,but few gave it much thought because polls were suggesting the Liberals wouldn’t be around for another term. At the time,BCTF president Susan Lambert described the idea as ludicrous.

Nevertheless, the proposal was part of the Liberal party platform and is now likely to get attention.

While everyone savours the idea of labour peace in B.C. public schools, Lambert said the BCTF wouldn’t sign a 10-year collective agreement unless the government offered improvements to salaries and benefits and addressed teacher concerns about working and learning conditions.

“Anything is possible but . . . there has to be political will to address the issues that teachers say are critical to the success of public education,” she said Wednesday. If the intent is simply to extend the current contract for 10 years, “that’s unacceptable to us.”

Former education minister Don McRae wasn’t willing to make any commitment when he met union officials Feb. 14, Lambert said. That leaves some wondering if the government wants a 10-year deal badly enough to impose it through legislation.

That’s still premature. The BCTF and public school employers are heading back to the bargaining table next week and there is some time before the union’s contract expires June 30. But Lambert said progress has been difficult given the government’s co-operative gains mandate for public-sector contracts (which says modest wage increases are possible only if the cost is offset by productivity improvements).

Lambert says there is nothing left to squeeze, and many school trustees agree.

Still, she expressed hope Wednesday that the BCTF and the new Liberal government can develop a better relationship than the one they’ve had for the past 12 years. “I hope with this new mandate there will be a sense of security that will allow a mature relationship to develop – one that’s mutually respectful.”

Labour peace will also require a deal with support staff, many of whom are represented by CUPE. Those contract talks broke down in late April and the union has been holding strike votes.

Rachel Andrus, vice-chair of the Vancouver Coast Health advisory committee on transgender health, will deliver a powerpoint presentation on gender variance, gender dysphoria and bullying. She also has an interesting story about her transition from Doug to Rachel while she was a Canada ...

Rachel Andrus, vice-chair of the Vancouver Coast Health advisory committee on transgender health, will deliver a powerpoint presentation on gender variance, gender dysphoria and bullying. She also has an interesting story about her transition from Doug to Rachel while she was a Canada Post manager, responsible for hundreds of employees.

Her goal is to raise awareness through education, and her presentation comes as the New Westminster board of education is considering a sexual orientation/gender identity policy to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and staff.